Chapter 1 Check!

The woman brought her cleaver down mercilessly. Luckily, someone pulled the fair-skinned man back, preventing a fatal blow. Even so, he fell to the ground, convulsing in pain. A shocking gash marked his shoulder.

Yao Shunyu clenched his fists, ready to act, but the middle-aged man beside him, wearing old-fashioned glasses, grabbed his wrist and frantically signaled him to remain calm.

"Oh ho, so you thieving men are all standing together now? Seems you haven't been beaten into submission yet." The crazed woman brandished her butcher's knife, her face a mask of ferocious malice. Her features twisted, as if a demonic visage lurked beneath her skin.

Now the men stood their ground, each staring intently at the madwoman. The fair-skinned man, though wounded, rose to his feet, his eyes bloodshot as he glared at her face.

Just as the conflict was about to erupt, footsteps echoed from outside the courtyard. Li Bai, Yao Shunyu, and the others recognized the newcomer: an old woman who needed assistance to walk, supposedly called Elder Sun, a figure of considerable prestige in Blackwater Village.

Without a word, Elder Sun strode up to the raving woman and delivered two sharp slaps. Despite her age and infirmity, Elder Sun moved with astonishing speed. Before Li Bai could even register her movements, the crazed woman was sprawled on the ground, blood flowing from her nose and mouth.

"You can't even take care of your own daughter! What use is there for you in Blackwater Village?!" Elder Sun's voice wasn't loud, but it carried immense power.

The once-ferocious madwoman instantly fell silent. Supported by two other women who had arrived, she left without a word.

The other women released Li Bai, who hurried to Yao Shunyu and the others, joining them in facing Elder Sun's imposing presence.

Although elderly, Elder Sun exuded a pressure even more intense than the madwoman. Her turbid eyes made them deeply uneasy.

To their surprise, Elder Sun said nothing, merely glancing at them before turning and leaving.

The other onlookers followed suit, dispersing in various directions.

Just as they began to breathe a sigh of relief, a light, floating voice drifted over, "The Birth Goddess does not favor these men. They will all be sacrificed tomorrow morning. Their limbs will be severed and their bodies thrown into the Blackwater River."

As Elder Sun spoke, the other women nodded in unison, responding with a chorus of "Yes."

Only when the women's voices had completely faded did the oppressive atmosphere in the courtyard dissipate.

With the help of the others, Yao Shunyu pulled open the fair-skinned man's shirt to tend to his wound. He was both shocked and moved that the man hadn't betrayed them. "I'm sorry, brother. You've been implicated because of us."

Though in obvious pain, the fair-skinned man waved his hand. "I… I wasn't doing it entirely for you. You all saw it too. These women… no, these beasts, are going too far!"

"They don't treat us like humans. Sooner or later… sooner or later, we'll all die at their hands. We men came into this world honorably. We can't die like this, so uselessly!"

"Right! We'll fight them! That old hag wants to kill us tomorrow, so we'll strike first. If we succeed, great. If not, we'll throw our lives on the line. It's no big deal!"

"Dare to unsheathe your sword to fight, and drag the emperor from his horse! I'm still a man! How can I let these women bully me like this?"

"We'll burn down Blackwater Village and avenge our unjustly murdered brothers!"

The men spoke over each other, their spirits high. Li Bai and Yao Shunyu were naturally pleased to see this, but they didn't reveal that the villagers might not be human, knowing it would only add to their worries.

Unlike the others, Yao Shunyu and Li Bai were thinking further ahead. Since Elder Sun had declared their execution for tomorrow, that meant tomorrow was the deadline. In other words, they only had tonight.

Tonight's mission was decisive. They had to give it their all.

The image of Zhang Yuanchao's face surfaced in his mind, strengthening Li Bai's resolve to destroy Blackwater Village.

Looking at the impassioned men, Yao Shunyu couldn't help but feel a strange unease, knowing that a Deep Crimson was lurking among them.

After leaving the courtyard, Elder Sun's entourage quickly dispersed, each woman returning to her home as if programmed.

The madwoman was no exception. She walked alone along a winding village path, growing more and more secluded until she stopped before a courtyard.

If Li Bai and Yao Shunyu were there, they would immediately recognize that this courtyard was not far from the location of Li Bai's mission the night before: Mudman Zhang's residence.

Pushing open the heavy courtyard gate, the madwoman walked all the way to a low-slung room in the backyard.

The room was small. A person inside could barely stand up straight. Stranger still, it had no windows, and the only door was unusually sturdy. Moreover… the latch was on the outside, as if something was meant to be locked inside.

Suddenly, the madwoman became agitated. With trembling hands, she unlatched the door and stepped inside, enveloped by a dim, shadowy atmosphere.

The next moment, something darted out from the corner, lunging at the madwoman with incredible speed.

It was a person, or at least a humanoid figure, cloaked in a robe similar to a bamboo rain hat, its entire body hunched inside. Judging by its size, it was probably a child of around ten years old.

The madwoman embraced the cloaked child, her eyes blazing with malice. "Daughter, don't worry. I'll avenge you. Elder Sun said she'll give the order tomorrow. Then I'll cut off the limbs of those men and give them to you to play with, okay?"

At those words, the child beneath the cloak emitted a "kekeke" laugh, as if amused by the madwoman's suggestion. It butted its head against the madwoman's body, as if affectionately caressing her.

The madwoman took a deep breath, gently stroking the cloak with her hand, and said earnestly, "Daughter, those men must die. No man has ever left Blackwater Village alive. The Birth Goddess needs them."

As if struck by a sudden thought, a flicker of anguish crossed the madwoman's face. She reached out and slowly lifted the hood from her daughter's head. In the next instant, a horrifying face was revealed.

The left half of the face was that of an ordinary ten-year-old girl, her skin delicate. But the right half was completely melted, the eye and eyelid fused together, the corner of the mouth drooping downwards, as if splashed with concentrated acid.

"Jie jie jie..." The girl grinned, emitting an eerie giggle, identical to the sound Li Bai had heard in the underground mud cave.